Children and Global Conflict

Description

Over one billion people under the age of eighteen live in territories affected by armed conflict. Despite this, scholars and practitioners often lack a comprehensive knowledge of how children both struggle within and shape conflict zones. Children and Global Conflict provides this understanding with a view to enhancing the prospects of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. This book presents key ideas and issues relating to children's experiences of war, international relations and international law. The authors explore the political, conceptual and moral debates around children in these contexts and offer examples and solutions based on case studies of child soldiers from Vietnam, child forced migrants in Australia, young peace-builders in post-conflict zones, youth in the international justice system, and child advocates across South Asia and the Middle East.

Kim Huynh is Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University, Canberra. He teaches courses in refugee politics, political philosophy and international relations. He is author of Where the Sea Takes Us (2008), and co-editor with Jim George of The Culture Wars: Australian and American Politics in the 21st Century (2009). Bina D'Costa is a fellow with the Research School of Asia and the Pacific (RSAP) and teaches at the Politics and IR program in the School of Culture, History and Languages at the Australian National University. Her publications include Nationbuilding: Gender and War Crimes in the Asia-Pacific (2011) and Gender and Global Politics in the Asia-Pacific, co-edited with Katrina Lee-Koo (2009). Katrina Lee-Koo is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Australian National University. She teaches and researches in the areas of security studies and the gender/identity politics of conflict and post-conflict zones. She is co-editor of Gender and Global Politics in the Asia-Pacific (2009) with Bina D'Costa.

'This is an important piece of work and fills what, for a long time, has been a significant gap in the literature - the relationship between children and conflict and the international responses to it. Huynh, D'Costa and Lee-Koo have written a book that students, academics and policymakers should read - and with some urgency.' Ali Watson, University of St Andrews, Scotland